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Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Landreth – the Oldest Seed House in the States

A book that's available

Gardening Bloggers Wanted is the post that GrowMap put up on Monday ... asking especially American readers (gardeners and all) to help save the Oldest Seed House in America – which seems like an excellent idea.

Creative wise – we need to save our Heirloom plants and seeds - who knows we may well need them desperately in the decades ahead; knowledge is everything, if these seeds disappear then they’re gone for ever .... Do-do-ed into non-existence.

The company is also Non-GMO.

Growing heirloom plants may help

preserve rare genetic varieties.

Here in England we have Kew Gardens, which sponsors the Millennium Seed Bank based at Wakehurst Place in Sussex – both beautiful landscapes to visit, wonderful resources and extremely interesting to look around.

To support the cause - the GrowMap post lists lots of gardens, bloggers to visit, seeds, notelets, books or the catalogue to buy – all of which could be a wonderful source of potential blogging or author ideas.

There’s a cook site, a Faerie site, a Home Grown Goodness Forum, a Lament even ... lots of gardening bloggers' sites ...

The Catalogue

Gosh I don’t need to go on - do I?It’s a site worth visiting and please purchase the catalogue – looks so much fun, or the seeds ... and generally if possible do the things I don’t do!! i.e. tweet, FB, like, G+ et al ... crumbs ... I have a lot of catching up to do.

This is one of those actions that’s not short-term ... it’s for the long-term those 7 generations ahead ...

... also the post is one of those that perhaps we could poach from for the idea to help your fellow authors spread their words – books, novellas, poetry, music ... marketing thoughts abound there.

Shannon O’Donnell has just posted about Elana J’s idea “Random Acts of Publicity Week” – which is in much the same vein ... perhaps we could do a pre Christmas one for everyone’s books?

When you go to order the catalogue, as I have, you’ll see the photo .. and this paragraph:

“Why Do We Charge For Our Catalogues?

The D. Landreth Seed Company is America's Company. It was founded near the time of the birth of this Nation and has grown with this Country through its ups and its downs over the course of four centuries: the 1700s, the 1800s, the 1900s and now the 2,000s.

We are honored to have been a part of this Nation for so long, and we have a deep commitment and feel a great responsibility to this Country. We could have this catalogue printed overseas, and the printing costs would be 1/4th the costs of printing the catalogue in the United States, but we are not going to take American business overseas.

Landreth seeds

The catalogue is designed by a small, Baltimore-based and family-owned business, Victor DiPace Associates and it is printed by a family-owned local printing company. Producing this catalogue is far more expensive than it is for most companies who are outsourcing their printing requirements overseas.

We charge for our catalogue to help with some, but not all, of the costs to produce and mail. Each catalogue that you purchase from Landreth is helping to keep an American employed and therefore making this country stronger.”

GrowMap’s post tells you a great deal more ... here’s to our books, your seeds, our heirlooms and the creativity that will fuel our minds from within these websites and catalogue pages.Let’s help save Landreth ...

I think it's so important to make sure the seeds and plants that are today and in the past are still around for generations to come. It would be sad if there were only a few varieties of vegetables and other plants left. What state will our health be in then? Great post. I'm going to check out all the links now.

Looks excellent, thanks for spreading the word! I also really enjoyed reading your post from last November, wonderful post. I was not blogging then, so it's fun to be able to catch up with some of the great posts I missed out on.

Hi Julie .. it does look excellent - can't wait for mine to arrive and I ordered some notecards ..

I loved writing that maize, squash and tomato (three sisters) post last year .. especially with the links back to Spain via the Historia .. so so interesting .. and the fact that it was known as the Florentine Codex .. just fascinates me!

So pleased you enjoyed last year's post too .. thanks for the visit .. cheers Hilary

This post takes me back to when I was a young kid. I'd order seeds from this seed company and sell them door to door. Flowers did the best. I sold a few veggie seeds to. I actually made pretty good money at it and met a lot of people. Ah .... memories.

I just viewed the D. Landreth Seed Company's website. It's gorgeous! I never stop to think that such awesome things can be found on the Internet. You do a great service, Hilary, by bringing these wonderful sites to our attention!

@ Jannie .. those seed packets do look so pretty don't they .. you seem to have picked up on their substance, and I wondered if you'd spot the notecards! Great that you'll be popping over to their site.

@ Stephen .. that was an innovative way to make some money Stephen! .. selling seed packets door to door - what a great idea. I bet you had fun chatting to people and possibly going back to see how your seeds had grown. As you say memories .. and a good story line for spotting a murder happening?!

@ Ann - it's interesting that I'm letting Americans know about Landreth .. but I just find some sites and if it's interesting I'll post about it.

The company has some wonderful information .. and anything that's been around for 250 years needs our support.

@ Anne - I appreciate your comment and thought about it - I did mention Wakehurst Place and I've often written about Chelsea, or Kew .. but there are stories here of old times .. and my post of last November on maize, tomatoes and squash .. has a lot of historical information.

I expect we hold quite a few South, Middle and North American seeds at the seed bank in Wakehurst place too .. as well as in botanical drawings, art, records etc ... on the plants themselves.

The thing I find interesting is that in many of my posts I'm imparting information that Americans didn't know about - it's the mix of information that I hope opens other conversations and doors to people around the world.

So that's why I posted about Landreth .. it was fascinating enough historically to know about and remind us all that the future is with our seeds.

@ Michelle - I should hope they're professionals as they're all gardeners by trade, or passion!!

Catching up .. good luck! Pleasure to comment on your blog ..

@ Yvonne - glad you enjoyed the post ..

@ Joylene - you're right there and glad you'll check out their site. I cannot believe you'll be battening down the hatches for winter very soon .. it wasn't so long ago that you were asking us about your Lake and its freezing over, and then becoming unfrozen last Spring!

Thanks everyone .. delighted you all enjoyed finding out about Landreth .. Hilary

@ Talli .. thanks - I quite often go to Wakehurst place .. and we take friends on their way back overseas - good place for a final walk, and/or snack .. land for the kids to run around .. but I must get back to Kew - one day .. perhaps we can meet and go together in the Spring.

@ Blonde Duck .. is it still hot and dry .. you must be in the southern half .. yet you BBQ? Burgers .. I'm coming over for yours! A garden is just lovely when the weather's reasonable - not like now - cool and damp!

@ Mike - thanks .. excellent that you think it might suit Karen .. I can understand why your veggie garden doesn't do too well - you're always on the road on those wonderful Exit 78 trips!! no time to nurture or water .. perhaps the Landreth catalogue will change that ...

@ Chase .. I'm sure Canada does have its own archives .. and probably a seed and plant one too ..

Plants feed us - so we need the strongest, most resilient and best for us .. it's great that they're collecting and storing new ones for the future.

They grow plants here that were eliminated in the wild and are taking them out into their native habitat around the world to re-establish themselves.

It's amazing what the farmers, wildlife rangers, environmentalists, botanists do .. as well as the small or large gardeners - protecting so many flora and fauna of our world.

Thanks Talli, Blonde Duck, Mike and Chase .. great to see you - cheers Hilary

Hi Hilary,You can breathe a sigh of relief, for yes, I, shy and humble I, have arrived to plant a comment on your latest posting. Couldn't last night, because blogger was behaving badly.Some incredible information and links you have so kindly put up on here.Anything relating to gardening gets my attention. I'm amazed how well my garden has done, considering we didn't exactly have a summer.And quite right, we need to save our heirloom plants.Cheers Hilary.In kindness, Gary

Well, I'm fascinated by this, as neither me, nor, more to the point, our household's in-resident expert gardener, has heard of this company at all. So as to salvage what little reputation we might have had in this area, let it be known that we're aware of at least two other fine heirloom seed establishments in these parts, Johnny's Selected Seeds, and a favorite, the Seed Saver's Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, which claims to be the largest non-governmental seed bank in the US. You can find them here, for the curious: here.

Oooh yes, that Seed Art book looks wonderful!! I've heard of this co. on Martha Stewart,I think. She promotes the preservation of heirloom seeds as well, and I agree,so very important. Thanks for this informative post! ~Scarlett

@ Nutschell .. good to see you after your hectic summer - that's interesting that you've got heirloom tomatoes in a pot though ... and one day you'll get your garden: definitely!

@ Susan .. it's like all things isn't it - we pick up some things and not others .. if GrowMap hadn't posted about the company I most definitely wouldn't have known about them. It was the fact they're 250 years old .. as old as the American nation really ..

Good to know about your two heirloom establishments - thanks for posting ... I'll pop over.

I'd hate your gardening expert to be shown up ... I hope you'll get the catalogue and/or some seeds ..

@ Scarlett - ah! the Seed Art book - now I'm glad I posted the picture! the artist comes to the fore.

So pleased you enjoyed the post - I can see your craft mind working away ...

Thanks Nutschell, Susan and Scarlett .. so good to see you - cheers Hilary

Great idea and great cause. i think gardening is becoming more important and food will have to be more locally grown as transporting it all over the world will become more expensive. My husband is a keen gardener and we have a reasonable size vegie garden. Since the earthquake more and more garden clubs arise. Thanks for the link.

Hi Hilary! Great info here - thanks so much! I expanded my garden this year and then had to leave it all to "whatever happens, happens" and head to the lake while my new kitchen was being installed at home. Great reason of course, but sadly the garden didn't do well. I want to start with all heirloom seeds next year so this was a very valuable resource!

Hilary, Gee, thanks for this information. I didn't know this was going on. I love heirloom seeds. The only kind to buy. I'm glad you're on top of things. :) Their tomatoes are the only kind to grow. Most delicious.Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

How interesting. I'd never heard of this catalogue before. I did know about the seed bank that Kew are responsible for and I agree that that's vital. Our local Botanical Gardens, which belongs to Leicester University, contains a number of national collections of plants including hardy fuchsias.

@ Ros .. nor had I - but loved the look of it the company and what knowledge it held. And like you I support the Kew version at Wakehurst Place .. and it's good to hear that your Botanical Gardens have a number of national collections .. I love fuschias too - very Cornish. Our UK ones are extremely important as they're probably more universal.

Wow this was a great post and I popped over to the site and forgot to let you know how much I appreciated your sharing.I did FB and tweet

I get so many emails asking me to work on petitions against GMO and Montsanto monopolies that this was a refreshing reverse view...They don't mention that Montsanto is breathing down their necks at every opportunity and $ they can spend...Scary stuff...and we already are dependent on these kinds of seed companies

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About Me

A lover of life – who after London, spent time in South Africa; an administrator, sports lover, who enjoys cooking and entertaining ... who through her mother’s illness found a new passion – writing, in particular blogging; which provides an opportunity for future exploration, by the daughter, who has (in her 3rd age years) found a love of historical education. Curiosity didn’t kill this cat – interaction is the key! Now moved to Vancouver Island, Canada for 'a while' - not forever ...